Cabbie Slashes Rival's Tires While Passengers Wait, Police Say

A cab driver upset about losing a fare followed his rival from Lower Merion's Haverford section to Bryn Mawr before slashing two of the other car's tires while passengers sat inside, Lower Merion police said Monday.

A group of people hailed a cab at Lancaster Avenue and Buck Lane about 12:50 a.m. Friday, and two taxis from different companies responded at about the same time, police said. One driver cut in front of the other, trying to stop him from picking up the passengers, but he was unsuccessful.

The two drivers argued before the full cab left, heading west on Lancaster Avenue. The other driver followed to Ithan Avenue, where both cabs stopped and the jilted driver got out. He used a knife to slash both passenger side tires, then left the scene, police said.

The other driver drove his passengers to Villanova University, apparently unimpeded by the tire-slashing, police said. Officers stopped the knife-wielding driver, a 51-year-old Chester man, and arrested him. He is charged with simple assault, criminal mischief and possession of an instrument of crime, and he is due in court for a preliminary hearing Oct. 11.